The Ratio of Freckles to Stars
by yurImperial
Summary: All that you've conquered was already yours.Walking the night sky, freckles to the stars. All that you've longed for is painted down my arms. Here, I can take you. I can take you. I can take you. - The Ratio of Freckles to Stars by Halou


The Ratio of Freckles to Stars

Summer was always a special time in Vale. Students went on break, many to visit the coast and enjoy a few warm weeks on the beach, while the rest stayed put for the traditional fireworks displays. Team RWBY was in the latter group; Yang had landed a gig working one of the shows, and this being Penny's first summer in Vale, Ruby wanted to show her what a spectacle they could be.

She also wanted some alone time with her girlfriend, so rather than tag along with Weiss and Blake, she had the bright idea to rent a car and drive Penny out to the countryside where they could see the fireworks far away from any crowds.

Never mind the fact that she had never driven anywhere herself. But the moment she saw the stripped-down, battle scarred Humvee, her mind had been set. Words like _majestic_ and _charismatic_ weren't typically used to describe an off-road vehicle with grease stains as its apparent paint scheme, but that didn't stop Ruby. Penny had simply referred to the poor creature as, "Combat-ready."

"Ruby, are you certain we are going in the right direction?" Penny asked as they bumbled down a dirt road.

"Uh, define 'certain...'"

Penny sat back and closed her eyes, concentrating on some internal function. Seconds later, her eyes popped open and she turned back to Ruby, an amused tilt to her smile and a lilt in her voice.

"Would you like me to tell you where we are?"

"You shush, GPS is cheating," Ruby said, hunching down over the steering wheel.

Penny stifled a giggle. She was quite familiar with Ruby's stubbornness and knew it was only a matter of time until she gave in - about ten minutes, to be precise. Ruby hadn't been too far off, and after a small adjustment to their course, they pulled up on the side of an open field. Across the way, they could see a crowd gathering in an airship port and were glad they chose an alternate viewing location. Judging by the number of people, it was going to take Weiss and Blake hours just to leave once the show was over.

It was still early for the show to start, so Ruby and Penny unpacked and laid a blanket across the cab of the vehicle to sit on. With the help of Penny's magnified vision, they passed the time by spying on the other couple among the crowd.

"Oooh!" Penny cooed and leaned forward with interest.

"What is it? What are they doing now?" Ruby said, leaning against her as if getting closer would allow her to see through Penny's eyes.

Penny was silent for a moment. An audible mechanical sound indicated that her optical sensors were fine-tuning their calibration. Ruby bounced impatiently, causing the Humvee to groan out an arthritic song.

"Blake is standing at their spot with an ice cream cone in each hand..." Penny squinted, her eyes flickering from point to point. "And Weiss appears to be lost."

"What? Really?"

"She is approximately twenty meters away struggling to see over the crowd."

Ruby exploded with laughter, rolling over and clutching her ribs. Penny remained motionless through her girlfriend's flailing, though a smile also touched her lips. "Oh dear. The ice cream is starting to drip."

Ruby had just managed to catch her breath, only for it to whoosh out again on another fit. "I can picture it perfectly!" she said between gasps for air.

"Should we help them out?" Penny asked.

"We could. _Or,_ we could keep enjoying the show," Ruby said as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Didn't they help us that time we got separated?"

Ruby stared up at the sky. Color was creeping in from the horizon as sunset approached, banding the sky with honey yellows and rich oranges. "They waited as long as they could," she finally replied with a sour pout.

"Ruby."

 _"Fine,_ I'll message Weiss."

Ruby pulled her scroll from her pocket and was surprised to find a message from Pyrrha. She opened it and was greeted with a group picture of team JNPR. Beneath the shade of an umbrella, Ren was buried up to the neck in sand and staring nonplussed at the camera. Nora stood over him proudly with a shovel raised toward the cloudless sky. Jaune was doubled over laughing in the corner, his skin sunburned an impressive rosy pink. Sun also stood shirtless in the background giving a peace sign and a cheeky grin.

"Hey, it's JNPR!" Ruby sat up and angled her scroll so Penny could see. Forgetting Blake and Weiss entirely, as well as the passage of time, they poured over the album of photos until the first rocket went whistling high into the air. Two pairs of eyes snapped up, necks craning back to watch its glittering ascent until it seemed to disappear for a moment. Then color and light bloomed on the canvas of darkened sky with a reverberating _boom_.

Penny's jaw dropped, transfixed in wonder as bright green sparks rained down to wink out like fireflies. Her left hand found Ruby's right and squeezed, too overcome with emotion for words. Their fingers interlocked easily and settled into a rhythm of thumbs idly brushing knuckles. Several more thunks rang out and three more stars fell in reverse into the upper atmosphere.

"So pretty," Penny said in a hushed voice. Ruby turned to watch as each explosion cast her in a different hue, the light playing over her freckled cheeks and reflecting in her wide, unblinking eyes. Ruby snuggled in closer and rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder, humming in agreement.

The show was spectacular this year - even Ruby had never seen so many different kinds of fireworks. There were the common colorful spheres, but then there were rings, star patterns, flowering shapes that resemble weeping willows as the trails descended, and even more complex shapes that could have been huntsman symbols. As the girls watched, they pointed out their favorite kinds; Ruby's was the fast kind that made a high-pitched whine as it flew and burst into a shimmery shower that crackled and fizzed. Penny's favorite seemed to change each time a new kind made its appearance and Ruby laughed as her excitement grew with each one. She eventually had to remind Penny that the creaking sound whenever she bounced was the Humvee begging for mercy, and that she had to return it in the condition she rented it (though she was seriously considering buying it outright so they could make trips into the countryside whenever they felt like it).

At some point, they ended up on their backs with the edges of the blanket pulled over them, making it easier to follow the fireworks. Except Ruby was no longer watching. Maybe it was the romantic light, or the fact that they were alone. Maybe it was the scent of black powder on the wind that was stirring her excitement. Maybe it was Penny's own enthusiasm, or how cute she looked in a light green sundress that showed off her freckled shoulders. Whatever the reason, Ruby's one thought as she rolled over and buried her face in Penny's neck was the rush of pure love that filled her heart and spread like a sugar rush through her veins. Penny giggled as Ruby's breath and kisses tickled the sensitive flesh, her hands coming up to slide over Ruby's shoulders.

"Is this okay?" Ruby asked gently as her fingertips trailed lower along her girlfriend's thigh. She waited, poised above her, eyes searching the darkness for any sign of discomfort. The fireworks slowed as the show neared its climax, gradually tapering off into less frequent salvos until a final rocket sailed far overhead. It finally burst with a truly thunderous crack and a starburst so bright, Ruby could see its glow without looking. As the light faded and the echoes gave way to calm, Penny palmed her cheeks, gave a warm smile and a nod.

"I'm ready."

Ruby started slow, pressing feather-light touches in repeating patterns and alternating with firmer strokes. As far as she could tell, Penny felt just like any other girl - quivering softness wrapped around pulsing, silken heat. The sensation made her wonder why anyone would rather receive than give. With just two fingers, she could make knees rattle and toes curl by tugging on her girlfriend's invisible strings. As exciting as that knowledge was, she kept the pace tender - she didn't want to rush Penny's first time.

The first gasp that left her was echoed by the next rocket to break the stillness, then another, two more, ten. They seemed to multiply by the second, quickly filling the quiet. Now Ruby did speed up. Penny's legs had started shaking, quiet sighs all but lost in the din. Ruby only caught them because Penny was still watching the fireworks over her shoulder, lips practically against her ear.

"Oh Ruby, this is so wonderful! It's like I'm floating."

"Not too rough?" Ruby asked, starting to pull away slightly. The air around them beat with the thunder of explosions. "We can slow down or take a break if-"

"Keep- ah, _Ruby!_ Don't- Please don't stop." Penny's embrace tightened like one of her crushing hugs, thighs clamping down painfully on Ruby's wrist.

"Shh, it's okay, I won't sweetie." Ruby stroked her hair and down the side of her face, murmuring affectionate sounds against her flushed skin.

Calculated motions began to blur into slippery approximations, relying on simple friction now more than ever. Ruby molded herself to Penny like mercury, feeling the earth-shaking tremble in every curve of her as she was swept up in the crescendo. There was no longer a discernible separation between firecracker shots; they spooled out into an ebullient torrent, lighting up the night like day. Ruby lost track of the trembling she felt, whether it was her own arm or Penny's body or the sky itself.

Then, Penny suddenly gasped out, her fingers clinging desperately to Ruby's shirt, surprise and awe blowing her eyes wide. _"What-? What-?"_

"You're okay, I'm here. I love you Penny. I love you, I love you..." Ruby murmured until the words lost meaning.

Penny's eyes closed but lights continued to flash across her vision. She felt herself rising higher and higher, soaring above the cool night into a glittering canopy of stars, up and up and _up_. Then light seemed to issue from everywhere at once, blinding and deafening and paralyzing. Heat rippled out on a wave of pure wonder. Still two fingers kept her tethered to reality, gradually rocking her back down to earth until she fell gasping into Ruby's arms.

The blanket they lay on was a mess of wrinkles, her dress seeming immaterial to the breeze coaxing fever from her skin. She lay staring for a long while before recognizing the shapes before her as smoke trails from the finale, pale as faded coals against dark indigo. A movement drew her attention as Ruby settled into the curve of her body, gazing down at her with open adoration.

"How was it?"

"Which part?" Penny asked, sitting up shakily and wrapping her arms around her knees.

Ruby just watched her, eyes sparkling with silent laughter. Penny turned to curl up against her and bring their lips together. Ruby's free arm folded around her waist and she hummed out in involuntary pleasure. "It was sensational," she finally said when they parted, and proceeded to giggle as Ruby's face went slack with sheer relief. "Thank you for sharing these experiences with me. They were both truly wonderful... and definitely worth having again..."

They kissed again, long and slow, eyes closed to just feel. The arm that was keeping Ruby supported fell and Penny collapsed on top of her, kiss still intact. Ruby's arms curled perfectly around her waist, their forms wriggling with unsuppressed giddiness. When they next separated, Ruby was about to say something when they both flinched as a lonely rocket shot out over the field, popping overhead. Then Penny started to giggle, and before long, they were both on their backs writhing with mirth, fingers intertwined.

They arrived home hours later than even Blake and Weiss. When asked what held them up, Ruby covered Penny's mouth and replied that of course counting stars would take time, and while that seemed to satisfy the others, a perplexed Penny mentally checked her database to see if _stars_ and _freckles_ were synonyms.


End file.
